Tri-Area opens school-based clinic in Floyd
Cromer said the clinic represents an important expansion of resources available to the school division, noting that "in a small school division, we often wear many, many hats."
After school on Aug. 24 members of the Floyd County School Board, teachers, and Tri-Area Community Health employees and officials came together to celebrate the addition of school-based health clinic across the parking lot from the entrance of the Floyd Elementary School.
The new clinic brings both medical and behavioral health services closer to students, school employees, and family members of school employees.
Superintendent Jessica Cromer thanked the organizations and individuals who helped make the project possible, including Tri-Area, which has school-based clinics in other communities as well as Floyd. “It’s really humbling to see how well we’ve all worked together to make this become a reality.”
Cromer said the clinic represents an important expansion of resources available to the school division, noting that "in a small school division, we often wear many, many hats."
"Having the additional supports through not only this clinic, but also through the behavioral health educators and the health educator – it’s really something new for us," she said.
Tri-Area CEO James Werth Jr. said the opening of a Floyd school-based clinic represents the heart of the organization's mission as "it’s helping us meet our mission of improving access to care, especially for people who don’t have access otherwise"
The clinic is staffed by Nurse Practitioner Chasity Barrett and Certified Medical Assistant Taylor Washburn. The school will also have access to behavioral health educators Kayla Underwood and Cadence Gravely, along with Student Health Educator Kenneth Hara. Additional tele-support covering Floyd County is Virtual Care Coordinator Jessica Wilkins
Cromer said, “We’re building a better future together," noting that the new clinic is a representation of that effort.
